Ainur Rohmah, The Jakarta Post 24 Feb 14;
Severe erosion along Central Java’s northern coast from Kendal regency, Semarang, to Demak regency requires immediate attention if a threat to local livelihoods is to be averted, says an official.
Semarang Maritime and Fishery Agency marine and coast division head Siswanto said coastal erosion had seen the coastline move 1.7 kilometers farther inland, with Tugu the worst hit district.
Of Tugu’s total area of 2,923 hectares, some 1,200 hectares have experienced severe erosion.
“The development of a wood processing factory in Kendal has caused this erosion,” Siswanto said in Semarang recently.
The erosion, according to Siswanto, had decreased the city’s fishpond area from about 1,000 hectares in 2006 to 921 hectares in 2010, as well as damaged mangroves growing along the coast.
“We need to handle this issue now, but the problem is that the administration must prepare a budget of trillions of rupiah,” he said.
Coastal erosion also threatens the three districts of Patebon, Rowosari and Kaliwungu in Kendal regency, causing frequent seawater flooding, locally known as rob, in the coastal area. Damage to mangrove forests has been blamed for the situation.
Damage to coastal areas due to a lack of mangrove forests has also been experienced by other districts, including Kendal, Brangsong, Kangkung and Cepiring, and is also feared to have affected tourist locations like Sendang Sikucing Beach.
Kendal Tourism and Culture Agency tourism head Sri Bagus Darmoyo said if nothing was done to address the issue, the beach was likely to completely disappear.
Semarang Diponegoro University’s School of Civil Engineering Association has suggested building a coastal belt through Kendal, Semarang and Demak to address the erosion.
A member of the association, Nelwan, said the coastal belt could be made multi-functional to block the seawater as well as deal with traffic congestion along the province’s northern coastal highway, or Pantura as the area is more
popularly called.
“The realistic solution to land subsidence, rob, coastal damage and traffic congestion is a coastal belt line that also functions as a toll road,” Nelwan said.
The coastal belt, according to Nelwan, could stretch for 71.5 km of the area’s total length of 82.5 km.
The project is predicted to require Rp 7.1 trillion (US$604.57 million).
If the coastal belt also acts as a toll road then the project would need a total of Rp 9.5 trillion to be completed.
